A Gift From the Heart
by Kitskune Miyake
Summary: Wally and Dick prepare for their first Christmas ever, even though it's only October. They want to get it just right. Set a couple years in the future. AU, I guess.


I know it isn't Christmas, but I need some happy Birdflash after that episode. Cross posted on my Tumblr (prompt-eater . tumblr) and DeviantArt (iwa-kid . deviantart)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Young Justice, which is owned by CN and DC.

* * *

_Gotham City October 7_

"What the—Wally, it's October! Why the hell are you thinking of Christmas in _October_?"

"It's just, I remembered it like a second ago, and I don't want to screw it up and forget when December comes along, so I just thought I'd do it now and get it out of the way."

"What the—oh Christ, do you even hear yourself?" Artemis rubbed her temples. "You know what, I'm just gonna walk away and pretend that you aren't as stupid as I see you, so—"

"NO!" Wally zoomed so he was in front of her again. "You gotta help me, Arty! I don't wanna screw this up. This is…it's just…"

"Wow, you're at a loss for words." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Alright, fine. Let's start your crazy Christmas plot."

* * *

_Gotham City October 25_

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Careful, you don't want boyfriend dearest to hear those words directed at anyone but him." Artemis wiped off a smear of motor oil on her cheek. "And you couldn't have taken this to a shop because…?"

"Cuz you're doing it for free, and I'm strapped for cash that isn't Dick's."

"Geez, you're hopeless!"

* * *

_Gotham City November 6_

She rolled the bike along with her to the eager redhead. "Alright, it's done. One customized motor bike, though it probably isn't as good as his old R-Cycle."

Wally stared at the motorbike in awe. Very little of the motorbike he purchased actually remained. The original black paint job was emblazoned with Nightwing's decal across the front. The wings of the bird flared down the side like stripes. Artemis had also taken the motor of the R-cycle—which, even though outdated, was twice as good as the crappy engine in the pawn shop deal Wally had bought—and successfully swapped it with the original motor. It was fast, sleek, and beautiful; tears sprang to his eyes at the thought of giving it to his boyfriend.

"Fuck, Artemis. You are the greatest thing to walk the earth," he murmured as he carefully circled the bike.

"Yeah whatever," she replied dismissively. "So, do you want me to keep it, or do you have a hiding place of your own?"

"Ummm, you hold on to it until the last minute. I'd probably lose it or something. Then I'll hide it or something until Christmas morning. Now how'll I get it into the flat without him or anybody else noticing?" he mused to himself

"Why don't you just drive up to your flat naked except for a leather jacket and rev at the window? He'd probably like that."

"…When did you get so kinky?"

* * *

_Happy Harbor November 12_

"…and it's just…I don't know what to do. M'gann, you're pretty good at gifts, and I just really don't want to mess up or get something dumb and meaningless."

"What are you talking about, Nightw-I mean, Richard? Haven't you been giving Wally gifts since you two were like twelve?"

"Yeah, but…friend gifts just aren't the same as boyfriend gifts. Like, I can be silly with those gifts and not have a problem, but what if he doesn't want that from me now that we're dating? I mean, they're pretty thoughtless and stupid, and—"

"You're stressing too much," M'gann interrupted. "Whatever you get him, I'm sure he'd like it anyways. Besides, don't you have an infinite budget?"

"I'd rather not borrow from Bats. He's still…iffy about me dating Wally. Personal money though, I've got a couple thousand I can spend on him."

"See, that's more than my entire gift budget for the Team! Seriously, Dick, you're overthinking this."

"Please, M'gann." He momentarily took off his sunglasses, flashing the brilliant blue eyes she had only recently become familiar with. She knew that she had lost; she couldn't say no to those eyes. She sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Just…give me some time to think. I want to make it super personalized for him."

* * *

_Mount Justice November 27_

"Hello?"

"Hey, M'gann, how're you—"

"For crying out loud, I haven't thought of anything yet. I might come up with something if you just leave me alone for five minutes, maybe."

"Oh, okay. Well, if you come up with—"

"I get it, you're the first to know." She hung up before he could reply, slightly irritated with the infatuated team mate.

* * *

_Bludhaven December 24_

Wally dialed the number, which he had memorized a long time ago. "Hey, Arty, is now a good time for me to get the bike?"

"Eh, we may have run into a slight road bump."

"Road bump?" He feared the worst.

"Y'see, I kept it in one of my weapons caches in Gotham, and recently Poison Ivy broke out of prison…"

"Oh no."

"Of all the places she decided to make her base, she picks _that _hideout with _your _bike in it."

"Well get it back!" He was stressing out badly.

"You're joking, right? Ivy might be weakened in the winter, but it's still going to take an awful lot of manpower to take her on, and I can't exactly call in Dick or the Batman for this. Besides, it's Christmas Eve, and I kinda wanted to spend Christmas Eve with—"

"Well, you're spending it with me now. I'm heading out in a minute or two." He hung up and zoomed to the police department at speedster speed. It was only 5 o'clock; Dick would be working past midnight. He'd be too tired to care if Wally was there, and it wasn't like they could spend a romantic night together anyways. Dick was adamant that he would take the late shift at work before going out on patrol on Christmas Eve. _I have time_, he hoped.

"Hey babe," he said quickly, spotting Dick's black hair amid the sea of whining police officers. "I'mma be out late tonight. Visiting Barry and the twins. Don't stay up for me, but I should be back by tomorrow morning. Love ya!" he called from across the room. A few coworkers groaned, fake retching at the affectionate redhead.

"Love you too," Dick called back. In an instant, Wally was gone, making his way to Gotham City in the blink of an eye. Dick pulled out his cell phone. "M'gann, it's Christmas Eve, and Wally won't be home until tomorrow. Please tell me you have a gift."

"Oh, I have a gift alright."

* * *

_Gotham City December 25 5:32 A.M_

Artemis glared at Wally as they fled into the alley, "You _so _owe me. I nearly _died_ in there. Twice, no thanks to you. Not to mention I made the bike for free, saved your ass a few times in past years, and loaned you three thousand dollars two years ago. I am _so_ getting your soul and first-adopted child."

Wally was too tired to comment back. They had put Ivy back in Arkham where she belonged, and they managed to prevent the hideout from blowing up half a city block. To top it all off, they got the bike out.

Mostly.

He stared at the banged-up bike at his side. If anything, it looked worse than what he had originally bought. The paint job was dinged and dirty, and the tires had blown out. Vines snaked through the exhaust pipe and around the handlebars, rendering the motor useless. The body was dented, and a hole was blown into the side. He couldn't give it to Dick, not in this condition.

"Arty, remember when I saved y—"

"For the love of justice, no! I wasted my Christmas Eve with you getting beat up by vines and dodging plant poisons. Please, just let me go home already!" She pulled the mask off her face, leaving an imprint of clean skin where her mask had protected it from the dirt. Her face was haggard, and dark circles were forming under her eyes. This was the face of someone who needed a break.

Wally huffed in defeat. "Fine. I'll just…think of something, I guess." He didn't have his wallet, for the love of it. How would he get a present?

Artemis almost walked away when she turned around. She tossed a small wrapped package to him, catching him by surprise. As he fumbled with the catch, she called back, "Merry Christmas, Flashboy. I'll see you around later." She turned the corner and disappeared.

Surprised, Wally carefully pulled back the satin ribbon, hoping it wasn't another miniature stink bomb. Instead, the edges of the box fluttered down, revealing a crumpled five dollar bill and a folded piece of computer paper. He unfolded it.

_To Master Wallace West:_

_This certificate hereby confirms that you, Wallace Rudolph West, no longer owe your first child nor your soul—should one exist—to Artemis Lian Crock. The aforementioned burden has been lifted out of the kindness of Miss Crock's heart. You may safely ask for favors without incurring further debt of such magnitude._

_As a sign of goodwill, a bill worth five US dollars has been included with this package. She wishes you good luck with your boyfriend, Richard John Grayson, and hopes you have a merry Christmas._

_Certified by Artemis Lian Crock._

He smiled at the card, grabbing the money before it floated away. She was as weird as ever, sending her best wishes through such an inflated card. They may have started out on pretty rocky ground, but she was easily his best friend, second only to his boyfriend. He jogged to a gas station he had seen a few blocks away, brainstorming ways he could spend five dollars on his boyfriend while still getting himself some breakfast. He was starving!

* * *

_Bludhaven December 25 7:17 A.M_.

Wally trudged into the one story flat, dead tired from the night's adventure. "Dick? Sorry I was out so late, but I'm finally ho—ly shit!" Wally was taken aback at the sight in the master bedroom.

The bed was covered with rose petals, and glass bowls were set on the side table, electric tea lights floating in water romantically. Mistletoe hung in clumps around the room. Red and silver ribbons were strung tastefully along the walls, all drawing attention to the man on the bed. Dick was unconscious on the bed, naked except for ribbons strategically tied around his hips. Another one was tied in a bow around his neck like a choker, a tag attached to it. Wally tentatively pulled the bow loose and read the card.

_Merry Christmas Wally! Dick wanted to give you something special, so he asked for my help. He wanted to be original, so I made it original. _

_P.S. This is totally our gift J_

_M'gann and Conner 3 _

_P.P.S. We already paid for the damages. A man should be coming next Tuesday to fix the dent in the wall_.

Wally snorted, collapsing into a fit of giggles. It was too funny. His laughter woke Dick, who fluttered back to consciousness like Sleeping Beauty. "Huh? Wha happened? Wally! M'gann and Conner broke in last night an—" Wally cut him off with a kiss.

Dick pulled away, raising his eyebrow. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but why the kiss?"

Wally pointed upwards. "Mistletoe, Dick. We didn't hang any this year."

Dick shook his head. "How cliché of her," he muttered, a smile creeping to his face. "Where were you last night though? You look terrible."

Wally's grin faltered. "Ehehehe, well, I made you your gift—well, actually Artemis did it like back in September. Anyways, I kept it in Gotham with her and when I was going to go get it, Poison Ivy attacked the hiding place and it got wrecked. Dude, you should have seen it, it was gorgeous!" Wally looked at Dick dreamily, content at the thought of what could have been.

"So you didn't get me anything?"

"Oh no! I got you a bag of chips from the gas station. But if you don't mind, I think I'll unwrap my present first." He reached for the bow at Dick's hip.

* * *

Review please! A review, especially constructive criticism, is more important to me than any amount of faves.


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